


God is in the Details

by NatesDate



Category: Spooks | MI-5
Genre: Abduction, F/M, Nightmares
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-02
Updated: 2015-10-02
Packaged: 2018-04-24 09:08:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,088
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4913530
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NatesDate/pseuds/NatesDate
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>My take on what happens in the 24 hours after 3.7, when Ruth is rescued from Andrew's house.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: All Spooks characters belong to Kudos and the BBC. The dialogue you recognize belongs to Raymond Khoury, writer of this episode, Kudos, BBC, et al.

Danny and several CO19 officers quietly approached the front of Andrew's house. Once at the door, Danny picked the lock and opened the door. He called out quietly, "Ruth?"

She replied in a strained voice, "Danny."

Danny entered slowly and held up a hand to indicate to the CO19 officer to hold off.

"Ruth, are you okay?" he asked as kneeled down next to her and worked to free her arms.

"I knew you'd find me. I just knew it." The relief was evident in her voice.

Adam entered the room from another doorway and asked Ruth if she was okay.

Ruth nodded as Danny continued to work on her bindings and added, "We're fine."

Adam hit the speed dial on his phone. "Harry. Andrew's dead and Ruth's fine." Adam walked through the entry and out the front door.

Once Ruth's arms were free she brought her hands to her lap, rubbing her sore wrists. She turned to look at Andrew one last time. "It's such a waste. He could've done so much."

"It's alright, Ruth," Danny consoled.

"He was just so… alone."

"It's alright. It's over now." Danny placed Ruth's arm over his shoulder and telling her to be careful as he helped her to stand.

As they turned towards the door, Ruth stopped and looked at Danny. "Promise me… you promise me… that we'll never end up as broken or as bitter."

Danny nodded. "I promise. I promise, Ruth."

They turned and slowly walked out the door.

The paramedic wrapped a blanket around Ruth and guided her into the back of the ambulance. Her wrists and forearms were red from the bindings with a few places almost raw from her struggles to free herself. Her wounds were cleaned and bandaged and the paramedic gave her instructions on further care.

Adam stopped by the ambulance to check on Ruth. Since she didn't require further treatment, Adam told her he would give her a ride home. She tried to say that she would catch a bus, but Adam told her it wasn't an option. He went back into the house and retrieved her handbag, then escorted her to a waiting car.

Ruth looked out the window as the car weaved through the London streets on its way to her home. Adam was seated next to her and she could feel his eyes on her. She was thankful he hadn't tried talking to her; she was still running through the events of the previous day in her head but she had no desire to talk about what happened just yet.

She hadn't realized they were so close to her home until the car pulled over and stopped. Before she could move Adam was out of the car and around to her side, opening the door and extending his hand to help her.

Ruth took Adam's hand and walked to her front door, suddenly realizing she didn't have her keys. Turning to say as much, she watched Adam's right hand reach forward and unlock her front door with her keys.

"I found them in your bag," he answered to her look.

After getting Ruth settled with a cup of tea, Adam informed her that she was not to go back to the Grid. Ruth started to protest, but the look on Adam's face told her this was a battle she wouldn't win. She thanked him for bringing her home.

As he walked out her front door, he turned and placed a kiss on her cheek. "I'm just happy that you are all right. I'll see you tomorrow."

Ruth closed the door and engaged the lock. Taking a moment to think, she climbed the stairs and prepared a bath.

* * *

Danny closed the door to his flat behind Will North, having just broken the Official Secrets Act by telling him where to find Zoe in Chile. His stomach rumbled and he checked the clock, realizing that he'd never eaten lunch. He decided to check in on Ruth before he ate, however. He knew this was her first experience with being abducted and he wanted to be sure she was doing okay.

Ruth answered on the third ring and initially sounded good. She told him she'd taken a bath and then relaxed with a book, but as Danny listened to her talk, he could hear her voice take on a nervous edge. Not wanting to point it out, he asked her if she'd eaten yet. When she replied in the negative, he told he was coming by and bringing takeaway. She'd tried to argue it wasn't necessary, but he insisted and told her he'd be there soon.

An hour later they were settled in on Ruth's sofa with heaping plates of Chinese food. Ruth filled Danny in on the events of the previous day.

"Once he touched the diamonds, things happened quickly. Within a minute he was dead and I was doing whatever I could to free myself, with no luck. So I sat there and thought about what you or Adam or even Zoe would have done in the same position, but I couldn't come up with anything."

They spent some time talking about Zoe, wondering how she was getting on before the conversation died off as they both finished eating. Danny cleared the containers away and made tea. Ruth jumped when Danny placed the cup in front of her.

"Sorry, I was just thinking about how I can't seem to stay out of trouble." Ruth didn't elaborate and Danny couldn't resist adding, "It's not like Harry's going to discipline you for being abducted."

Ruth let out a soft laugh. "I never know what he's going to do anymore. I'm sure he could find a reason... unauthorized fraternization with a GCHQ employee or something. It would be almost as pathetic as my disciplinary hearing a few months ago."

Danny turned his head quickly to face Ruth. "What disciplinary hearing? What are you talking about?"

"When you and Zoe were on the ship dealing with Newland, I was monitoring phone calls and communications for a number of people on a watch list. I became, shall we say, intrigued by the voice of a man we were monitoring because of his position and the people he comes into contact with. Anyway, I took things too far; I went for lunch in a restaurant after I heard him say he had reservations and sat at the table next to him. During lunch I overheard him talk about singing in a requiem and I went as well, taking Malcolm along as my brother."

"Ruth..."

"I know, Danny, trust me. You can't say anything that I haven't already said to myself. I'm not even sure why I did it. Maybe I was still feeling down and out of sorts over Christmas and the fact that I spent it here alone instead of with my mum. But I did it and it was wrong, though ultimately nothing happened. And instead of giving me a slapped wrist, which would have been enough, Harry dragged me through this charade of a disciplinary hearing."

"So how did that go?" Danny was surprised he hadn't heard anything around the Grid about it. Disciplinary hearings, though confidential, were usually hot gossip especially when they involved someone like Ruth.

"It started out fine and then I made a comment about how work was my life, to which Harry replied that I needed to separate the two, as if it was just that easy. My annoyance with the whole process reached its limit and as I walked out of the room I told him exactly how ridiculous I found the hearing. To his credit he let me vent and never mentioned it again."

She turned to Danny, who had a look of disbelief on his face. "You are a dark horse, Ruth Evershed. Tell me more about this guy."

Ruth spent the next few minutes recapping her interactions with John Fortescue. She then stood and walked to the window overlooking the front garden.

"I think what bothered me after it was all over was that even after I saw him at lunch, I had no intention of doing anything further. It was Sam that talked me into going to the requiem and she was reporting my actions to Harry." Ruth leaned her forehead against the window. "I was so embarrassed and felt as though everyone was laughing about it. 'There goes Ruth. She can only meet a man by listening to surveillance recordings. How pathetic is she?'" Ruth pulled back slightly from the window and wrapped her arms around herself, continuing to look out over the front garden.

Danny sighed. "You're not pathetic. We just talked about this. This life we've chosen doesn't make it easy even if we do meet someone we fancy." He stood and moved near Ruth. As he got closer, he noticed how tightly her hands were gripping her arms and that she was biting her bottom lip. "Are you alright? You seem nervous," he asked.

"It's getting dark," she said as a shiver ran through her. "I guess I'm just tired. I didn't exactly get a great night's sleep last night."

She turned to Danny and that's when he saw not only the exhaustion but a touch of fear. He placed a hand on her shoulder. "Ruth, the past 48 hours have been long and difficult and you're exhausted. I'm going to go and let you get some sleep."

"No!" Both were surprised by the strength of her response. Ruth turned and looked back out the window. "I spent last night tied to a banister with a dead body at my feet. I know I live alone and I'm used to being alone, but I don't want to be alone tonight." She turned back from the window and looked at Danny. "Will you stay with me?"

Danny did his best impression of a fish and Ruth realized how her question sounded. "Not like that. I have a spare room. I just need to know that I'm not here alone tonight."

Danny closed his mouth and nodded his head. "Of course I'll stay."

Ruth let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you."

Danny wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. "I'm so glad you are okay. I'm not sure what I'd have done if I lost you so soon after losing Zoe." After a moment he released Ruth. "Now, you need to rest. Go upstairs and I'll find my way to the guest room later. Sleep well and I'll see you in the morning."

Ruth smiled. "The guest room is the first door on the left and the bathroom is right across the hall. Goodnight, and thanks again."

Danny watched as she moved into the hall and then heard her footsteps climbing the stairs. When the sound disappeared Danny cleared away the mugs of tea that had since gone cold. Checking the time and seeing it was only half seven, he settled onto the sofa and turned on the telly, hoping to find a football match.

He was so engrossed in the match that he nearly missed the gentle knocking at the front door. Moving quickly before the visitor decided to try the bell, Danny wondered if Ruth had had plans for the night. Opening the door, he failed to find his voice in the surprise of who was on her doorstep.

Harry.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: All Spooks characters belong to Kudps and the BBC.
> 
> A/N: Thank you for the reviews - they are very much appreciated. I forgot to mention in part one that Ruth's thoughts and comments about her disciplinary hearing are taken from the transcript included in "The Personnel Files."

Apparently the feeling was mutual, though Harry was much better at hiding his surprise.

"Danny? Is everything all right? I wanted to stop by to see how Ruth was doing." Harry stood on the front step, not wanting to barge into Ruth's home.

"Harry. Come in; I'm sure Ruth won't mind. She's gone to bed already. She was so tired and tense from her night at Andrew's that she's already turned in." Feeling like he needed to explain why he was at her home he added, "Ruth didn't want to be alone in her house tonight. She asked me to stay in the guest room." Danny leaned against the wall while Harry moved towards the sofa and removed his jacket.

"Do you mind if I sit down? It's been a long day trying to clean up the mess Andrew left behind. Guy Facer is convinced we're hiding the laptop with the G&J Key, no matter that I've told him otherwise a dozen times." Harry sat at the end of the sofa after Danny waved his hand in a 'go ahead' gesture. "So other than being tired and tense, how did she seem? Adam told me she didn't need to go to hospital, but we both know that this type of experience can do more mental damage than physical."

Danny's response was pre-empted by the sound of Ruth's loud cries coming from upstairs. He turned and bounded up the stairs two at a time, following the sound of her voice to her bedroom. Harry followed Danny but stopped in the hallway outside Ruth's bedroom. He didn't want to intrude on her during such a private moment but his concern for her wouldn't allow him to stay away.

"Andrew. No. Please." Ruth's sobs grew louder and more insistent. "Get off me... hurting me." The rest of her words were incoherent and Harry leaned back against the wall, his mind racing at what Ruth may have been put through.

Inside the bedroom, Danny sat at the edge of her bed and wrapped his arms around Ruth, running a hand slowly up and down her back. "Ruth, shhh, you're fine. It's just a bad dream. Andrew's not here and he can't hurt you. Shhh." Danny kept rubbing her back until her sobs quieted down. After a few minutes her tears ended and the tension left her body, leaving her slumped against Danny. He murmured a few more words to her, and then she lay back down in bed while Danny covered her with the duvet. After planting a kiss on her forehead he walked out of the room.

Harry was still waiting just outside the bedroom but followed Danny down the stairs and into the lounge before speaking. "Danny, I didn't ask Adam, but I need to know. Was Ruth… assaulted by Andrew?" Harry didn't take a seat but instead remained standing. The urge to pace was growing stronger but he needed to hear the answer to his question first.

Danny knew from the tone of Harry's voice what he was really asking and started to shake his head. "No, I don't believe she was. I didn't stay in the ambulance with her but they checked her out and said she was fine to go home."

Harry didn't sit down, instead starting to slowly pace across the lounge as Danny continued. "Ruth told me about what happened last night. Once she realized it was Andrew that was behind the attacks, she tried to get to her phone and get out of the house. He got to her quickly and tackled her, pinning her to the floor. After that he tied her to the banister, where she was until we arrived."

Harry nodded and finally sat in the armchair closest to him. "Why was she having dinner with him anyway?"

Danny shrugged his shoulders. "We didn't talk about that, but they knew each other from GCHQ; they were friends. I'm not sure it was anything more than that."

"Hmm."

Danny's mind was starting to put together pieces of a puzzle that he hadn't been aware of before today. The disciplinary hearing for Ruth over that John guy. Harry coming to Ruth's house to check on her after the ordeal. Harry had always shown concern for his officers; it was one of his qualities that made those officers so loyal to him. But Danny had never known him to visit anyone's home after an op went wrong. Other officers had abused their privileges with regards to meeting civilians and getting information on them, and Harry would simply called them into his office and set them straight. So why the different treatment for Ruth? Danny's thoughts were interrupted by Harry's voice.

"Danny? Did you hear me? Do you think Ruth will be okay to come in to work tomorrow?"

"Sorry. Work tomorrow? I'm sure she'll insist on it. Adam told me she wanted to go back to the Grid today." He glanced towards the stairs. "I think a good night's sleep will be the best thing for her."

Harry stood from the chair. "I hope you're right. Well, I should get going. But in the morning, if you don't think she's ready to come in, convince her to stay home. Her official debrief can wait a day or so." He moved to the sofa and picked up his jacket, putting it on as he continued towards the front door.

Danny followed Harry to the front door. After opening the door, Harry turned back to him. "Thank you for staying here with Ruth. I... Good night, Danny." Harry turned and walked through the door, leaving Danny to wonder what else he'd wanted to say.

Closing the door and ensuring it was locked, Danny moved back to the lounge, standing near the sofa. Fidget had come out of hiding and was sitting in the chair recently vacated by Harry. After checking the time, Danny decided to head to bed. He didn't know how well Ruth would sleep and it could be a long night.

* * *

Ruth woke the next morning feeling much better than she had 24 hours ago. The sun was beginning to shine through the window and at some point in the night Fidget had settled on the foot of the bed. With a glance at the clock she stretched and then rolled out of bed, knowing that a shower was just what she needed.

Downstairs, Danny had just finished making himself a cup of tea when he heard the water start to run. Rummaging through the fridge and cupboards, he set about to make a basic breakfast of eggs, toast, and tea.

As she finished dressing, Ruth smelled food cooking and realized that Danny was already up. Since Danny was generally the last person to arrive on the Grid, Ruth had assumed he wasn't a morning person. Even if he wasn't, whatever he was cooking smelled delicious so she followed it down to her kitchen.

Danny heard the steps creak and he turned in time to see Ruth walk into the kitchen. "Good morning, Ruth. Are you hungry?" he asked as he turned off the cooker. Not waiting for an answer, he slid some scrambled eggs onto two plates. After setting the pan in the sink, he moved the plates to the table where toast and hot tea were already waiting.

Ruth smiled at the scene before her. "Good morning, Danny, and yes I am hungry. This is just what I needed." She sat opposite him at the kitchen table and for a minute or so the only sounds were those of breakfast - knives scraping butter and jam onto toast, spoons stirring sugar and milk into tea, and forks scraping eggs off the plate.

"How did you sleep last night?"

"I feel good, though I dreamt about Andrew last night." Ruth looked down at her breakfast, not wanting to elaborate.

"I know," Danny said after taking a sip of his tea.

"What do you mean, you know? Did I wake you?"

Danny didn't want to embarrass Ruth so he chose his words carefully. "Ruth, it's fine. You woke up about an hour after you went to bed. You were crying, said Andrew's name, said no, said that he was hurting you, and that was it. I sat next to you on the bed and rubbed your back until you stopped and then you went back to sleep. I didn't hear anything else from you the rest of the night."

When Ruth didn't say anything or even look at him, Danny reached across the table to take her hand. "Ruth, it's okay. There's no need to feel bad or be embarrassed. I'm not going to tell anyone, and I'm sure Harry won't mention it either."

At Harry's name, Ruth's eyes shot up to meet Danny's. "What do you mean, Harry won't say anything? You told him?"

Danny was so caught off guard by her reaction that it didn't even occur to him to lie. "No, Harry was here last night. He came to see how you were doing. You had your nightmare shortly after he arrived."

Ruth pulled her hand from Danny's, pushed her dishes aside and dropped her head onto her arms. Danny could just make out the sound of her repeating, "No, no, no."

"What's the matter? Ruth, you had a nightmare, so what! You'd just spent a day tied to a banister with a man you knew dead at your feet. I think you're doing quite well with it all, frankly."

Ruth lifted her head. "I... I just don't want Harry to think I'm not up to being in Section D. After my disciplinary hearing, and now this, it's not going to take much more for him to send me back to GCHQ."

Danny smiled and Ruth snapped at him. "You think that's funny? You've not had to work there!"

"Ruth, Harry's not going to send you back to GCHQ over this, or the hearing. He simply wanted to see how you were doing. I'm not sure Harry would let you go anywhere else; he values your work too much. Besides, I think he felt bad about it all."

"Why would Harry feel bad? Feel bad about what?" Ruth was bewildered at Danny's statement.

"Harry was so wrapped up in trying to find the person responsible that he didn't think it odd that you were taking a sick day, or that you let Sam know by text. When I finally asked Harry where you were, he told me you'd sent Sam a text to say you were sick. That didn't seem like you to me, especially since you don't even know how to change your ring tone." Danny paused as he took a bite of his eggs. "How is that, anyway? You can hack into the DGSE database but you can't figure out your mobile?"

Ruth knew that Danny was teasing her now as this wasn't the first discussion they had about her boring ringtone, as Danny called it. "I told you, the ringtones on my phone are all boring, so why bother changing it? It's not that I can't change it, I just don't want to," she said with a smile.

Danny wasn't buying her story. "Uh huh. So that day you spent 30 minutes fiddling with your phone and it ended up halfway across the Grid after you threw it? That was what, creative differences?" He was trying, most unsuccessfully, to hold in his laughter.

Ruth was smiling now. "Something like that." She glanced at the clock. "It's getting late. We should really be heading into work."

Danny stood and picked up his breakfast dishes to move them to the sink. "Yes, Ruth, heaven forbid you arrive merely on time today rather than your usual hour early."

Ruth mirrored Danny's actions. "Well, better early than late, but you wouldn't know anything about that, would you?" Danny flashed her a smile. "Besides, don't you still need to run home and change? I know you weren't planning to stay here last night."

"No, I wasn't, but I did already take a shower so I only need to change my clothes. Let me give you a lift. You'll be a bit late to work, but I don't think anyone will mind. Harry did say you could take today off if you needed it."

"There's no need for me to stay home. Bad enough I missed the last two days plus I have to be debriefed. No, I need to go in. I don't want to get any further behind."

Ruth headed for the stairs before turning back to Danny. "A ride would be great though. Give me five minutes?"

"Sounds good."


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: All Spooks characters belong to Kudos and the BBC.
> 
> A/N: Thank you for the reviews - they are very much appreciated. A big thanks to r4ven3 for her input and last minute assistance to my plea for help.

Harry watched as Danny and Ruth made their way through the pods, both smiling. He knew that Ruth wouldn't stay home today, even if he'd have asked her himself. He still felt a bit guilty for not realizing that something wasn't right about Ruth's absence the other day, but he was thankful that the end result was in their favour.

Wanting to speak with Ruth before she became engrossed in the piles on her desk, Harry picked up his phone and asked her to come into his office. Her eyes lifted to meet his as she agreed to his request.

Not bothering to knock, Ruth walked into Harry's office. As she did so, he greeted her and rose from his chair and asked her to take a seat. He slid his office door shut before walking back and leaning against the front of his desk.

"Ruth, how are you doing today?"

"Harry, I'm fine, really. I have loads to catch up on since Adam wouldn't let me come back to the Grid yesterday and I know I still need to be debriefed. Do you want to do that now or would later be a better time?" Ruth rambled on until Harry put a hand up to stop her talking.

"Slow down. Adam was right not to let you come back to the Grid and if you'd have shown up I would have sent you home. As for the items on your desk, you'll find that a couple of the junior analysts stayed late last night to do some of the work, so you're not as behind as you might think. I'm sure you'll still want to look it over, but that shouldn't take too long."

"Harry, there was no need for them to do so. They have their own work to do; they shouldn't feel like they need to do mine as well."

"I didn't order them to do the work; they approached Adam and asked to stay late to do those tasks they had clearance for to help you out. It's not as if you were skipping out of work for no good reason. They like and respect you, Ruth, and they wanted to help."

A hint of pink tinted her cheeks as she looked at the floor. Taking compliments was not her strong point. "I'll be sure to thank them properly." She raised her head once again to look at Harry. "And my debrief?"

"Are you ready to go through it all again? I know you told Danny about what happened but you know the process; the debrief is quite detailed and I don't want to rush you if you're not ready." Harry pushed off the desk and sat next to Ruth on the sofa.

"I'll be fine. I'd like to just get it over with and put it all behind me. I know I was lucky to come through it in one piece." She turned her head towards Harry and realized they weren't all that far apart. An emotion she couldn't quite identify flashed in his eyes before the mask was once again in place. She sat up straight and opened her mouth to say something, but closed it again while looking across the room away from Harry.

"Was there something else you wanted to say, Ruth?" Harry knew from experience not to push her; if she wanted to say something she would do so but in her own time.

Ruth nodded as she looked at her hands in her lap. "I'm sorry, Harry."

Those words were the last thing that Harry expected her to say. "Pardon my not understanding, Ruth, but what have you got to be sorry for? You've not done anything wrong."

She turned back to face him. "I let myself get into a situation where I was held hostage. I shouldn't have allowed that to happen."

Harry shook his head. "Ruth, you did nothing wrong. If not for your abduction it could have been days before we found out that Andrew was behind the attacks." Harry watched as Ruth shook her head no as if to say that Harry was wrong. Taking a chance, he reached over and placed his hand on hers, squeezing lightly, and watching as her eyes moved to their joined hands. "A friend asked you to have dinner, which you accepted. You had no reason to suspect that Andrew was the person responsible, so there was no apparent danger in accepting the invitation. But with your uncharacteristic disappearance, we investigated and realized that Andrew was behind the attacks."

Ruth still hadn't spoken, but that had more to do with her preoccupation with Harry's hand on hers. She knew that he was speaking, but hadn't really heard the words he said. It took her a few moments to realize he'd stopped talking, so she lifted her eyes from their joined hands to his eyes. Not wanting him to know the effect he was having on her, she simply said, "Thank you."

Deciding that it was best to put some distance between her and Harry, Ruth stood, causing his hand to fall away from hers. "If it's alright with you, I'd like to get started on those files. No use in letting them pile up any further. Can you let me know what time my debrief will start?"

Harry didn't like this awkwardness between them, but decided to let her leave for now. "Adam has volunteered to handle the debrief. I believe he was hoping to start after lunch, if that's alright with you."

Ruth continued towards the door. "That's fine. I should be able to make a sizable dent in that stack by then." She reached the door and slid it open.

"Oh, Ruth?"

"Yes, Harry?"

"Perhaps in the future you should stick to having dinner with folks from Five. Might be less troublesome for you." Harry's tone was lighthearted to match the teasing in his eyes and slight smile on his face.

Ruth was caught off guard by the cheeky remark and rattled off a response before fully considering what she was saying. "Yes well, since those were the only two dinner dates I've had since I've come to London, it shouldn't be too hard." Without waiting for a response, she walked out the door and headed back to her desk.

The smile on Harry's face slid away as he watched Ruth make her way back to her desk.


End file.
